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Showing posts from February, 2019

Book brings back memories

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 I write a book column for the newspaper I work for called the Book Nerd. This is my February column, which is a review of "The Girls at 17 Swann Street" by Yara Zgheib and my recovery from an eating disorder. "I tell people that I am a dancer. I have not danced in years, though. I work as a cashier in a supermarket, but my real occupation is anorexia."  -- Anna, "The Girls at 17 Swann Street" by Yara Zgheib This line from "The Girls at 17 Swann Street" by Yara Zgheib spoke to me. In the book, you meet 26-year-old Anna Roux, a former ballet dancer who has an eating disorder that has taken over her life. On a good day, Anna will eat some apples and some popcorn. She is 88 pounds and in danger of dying. Her husband, Matthias, has checked her into a residential treatment center for eating disorders at 17 Swann Street. It is there that Anna and others fight to regain control of their lives. "The chocolate went first, then the cheese